Box Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Box operations including file upload/download, content search, folder management, collaboration, metadata queries, and sign requests through Composio's Box toolkit.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/box

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active Box connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
box
```
Always call
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add

https://rube.app/mcp

as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
responds
Call
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
box
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Box OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Download Files

When to use: User wants to upload files to Box or download files from it

Tool sequence:

```
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT
```
- Find the target folder if path is unknown [Prerequisite]
```
BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION
```
- Verify folder exists and get folder_id [Prerequisite]
```
BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER
```
- Browse folder contents and discover file IDs [Optional]
```
BOX_UPLOAD_FILE
```
- Upload a file to a specific folder [Required for upload]
```
BOX_DOWNLOAD_FILE
```
- Download a file by file_id [Required for download]
```
BOX_CREATE_ZIP_DOWNLOAD
```
- Bundle multiple files/folders into a zip [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
parent_id
```
: Folder ID for upload destination (use
```
"0"
```
for root folder)
```
file
```
: FileUploadable object with
```
s3key
```
,
```
mimetype
```
, and
```
name
```
for uploads
```
file_id
```
: Unique file identifier for downloads
```
version
```
: Optional file version ID for downloading specific versions
```
fields
```
: Comma-separated list of attributes to return

Pitfalls:

Uploading to a folder with existing filenames can trigger conflict behavior; decide overwrite vs rename semantics
Files over 50MB should use chunk upload APIs (not available via standard tools)
The
```
attributes
```
part of upload must come before the
```
file
```
part or you get HTTP 400 with
```
metadata_after_file_contents
```
File IDs and folder IDs are numeric strings extractable from Box web app URLs (e.g.,
```
https://*.app.box.com/files/123
```
gives file_id
```
"123"
```
)

2. Search and Browse Content

When to use: User wants to find files, folders, or web links by name, content, or metadata

Tool sequence:

```
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT
```
- Full-text search across files, folders, and web links [Required]
```
BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER
```
- Browse contents of a specific folder [Optional]
```
BOX_GET_FILE_INFORMATION
```
- Get detailed metadata for a specific file [Optional]
```
BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION
```
- Get detailed metadata for a specific folder [Optional]
```
BOX_QUERY_FILES_FOLDERS_BY_METADATA
```
- Search by metadata template values [Optional]
```
BOX_LIST_RECENTLY_ACCESSED_ITEMS
```
- List recently accessed items [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
query
```
: Search string supporting operators (
```
""
```
exact match,
```
AND
```
,
```
OR
```
,
```
NOT
```
- uppercase only)
```
type
```
: Filter by
```
"file"
```
,
```
"folder"
```
, or
```
"web_link"
```
```
ancestor_folder_ids
```
: Limit search to specific folders (comma-separated IDs)
```
file_extensions
```
: Filter by file type (comma-separated, no dots)

content_types

: Search in

"name"

"description"

"file_content"

"comments"

"tags"

```
created_at_range
```
/
```
updated_at_range
```
: Date filters as comma-separated RFC3339 timestamps
```
limit
```
: Results per page (default 30)
```
offset
```
: Pagination offset (max 10000)
```
folder_id
```
: For
```
LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER
```
(use
```
"0"
```
for root)

Pitfalls:

Queries with offset > 10000 are rejected with HTTP 400
```
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT
```
requires either
```
query
```
or
```
mdfilters
```
parameter
Misconfigured filters can silently omit expected items; validate with small test queries first
Boolean operators (
```
AND
```
,
```
OR
```
,
```
NOT
```
) must be uppercase
```
BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER
```
requires pagination via
```
marker
```
or
```
offset
```
/
```
usemarker
```
; partial listings are common
Standard folders sort items by type first (folders before files before web links)

3. Manage Folders

When to use: User wants to create, update, move, copy, or delete folders

Tool sequence:

```
BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION
```
- Verify folder exists and check permissions [Prerequisite]
```
BOX_CREATE_FOLDER
```
- Create a new folder [Required for create]
```
BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER
```
- Rename, move, or update folder settings [Required for update]
```
BOX_COPY_FOLDER
```
- Copy a folder to a new location [Optional]
```
BOX_DELETE_FOLDER
```
- Move folder to trash [Required for delete]
```
BOX_PERMANENTLY_REMOVE_FOLDER
```
- Permanently delete a trashed folder [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
name
```
: Folder name (no
```
/
```
,
```
\
```
, trailing spaces, or
```
.
```
/
```
..
```
)
```
parent__id
```
: Parent folder ID (use
```
"0"
```
for root)
```
folder_id
```
: Target folder ID for operations
```
parent.id
```
: Destination folder ID for moves via
```
BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER
```
```
recursive
```
: Set
```
true
```
to delete non-empty folders
```
shared_link
```
: Object with
```
access
```
,
```
password
```
,
```
permissions
```
for creating shared links on folders
```
description
```
,
```
tags
```
: Optional metadata fields

Pitfalls:

```
BOX_DELETE_FOLDER
```
moves to trash by default; use
```
BOX_PERMANENTLY_REMOVE_FOLDER
```
for permanent deletion
Non-empty folders require
```
recursive: true
```
for deletion
Root folder (ID
```
"0"
```
) cannot be copied or deleted
Folder names cannot contain
```
/
```
,
```
\
```
, non-printable ASCII, or trailing spaces
Moving folders requires setting
```
parent.id
```
via
```
BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER
```

4. Share Files and Manage Collaborations

When to use: User wants to share files, manage access, or handle collaborations

Tool sequence:

```
BOX_GET_FILE_INFORMATION
```
- Get file details and current sharing status [Prerequisite]
```
BOX_LIST_FILE_COLLABORATIONS
```
- List who has access to a file [Required]
```
BOX_UPDATE_COLLABORATION
```
- Change access level or accept/reject invitations [Required]
```
BOX_GET_COLLABORATION
```
- Get details of a specific collaboration [Optional]
```
BOX_UPDATE_FILE
```
- Create shared links, lock files, or update permissions [Optional]
```
BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER
```
- Create shared links on folders [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
collaboration_id
```
: Unique collaboration identifier

role

: Access level (

"editor"

"viewer"

"co-owner"

"owner"

"previewer"

"uploader"

"viewer uploader"

"previewer uploader"

)

```
status
```
:
```
"accepted"
```
,
```
"pending"
```
, or
```
"rejected"
```
for collaboration invites
```
file_id
```
: File to share or manage
```
lock__access
```
: Set to
```
"lock"
```
to lock a file

permissions__can__download

"company"

"open"

for download permissions

Pitfalls:

Only certain roles can invite collaborators; insufficient permissions cause authorization errors
```
can_view_path
```
increases load time for the invitee's "All Files" page; limit to 1000 per user
Collaboration expiration requires enterprise admin settings to be enabled
Nested parameter names use double underscores (e.g.,
```
lock__access
```
,
```
parent__id
```
)

5. Box Sign Requests

When to use: User wants to manage document signature requests

Tool sequence:

```
BOX_LIST_BOX_SIGN_REQUESTS
```
- List all signature requests [Required]
```
BOX_GET_BOX_SIGN_REQUEST_BY_ID
```
- Get details of a specific sign request [Optional]
```
BOX_CANCEL_BOX_SIGN_REQUEST
```
- Cancel a pending sign request [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
sign_request_id
```
: UUID of the sign request
```
shared_requests
```
: Set
```
true
```
to include requests where user is a collaborator (not owner)
```
senders
```
: Filter by sender emails (requires
```
shared_requests: true
```
)
```
limit
```
/
```
marker
```
: Pagination parameters

Pitfalls:

Requires Box Sign to be enabled for the enterprise account
Deleted sign files or parent folders cause requests to not appear in listings
Only the creator can cancel a sign request

Sign request statuses include:

converting

created

sent

viewed

signed

declined

cancelled

expired

error_converting

error_sending

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Box uses numeric string IDs for all entities:

Root folder: Always ID
```
"0"
```
File ID from URL:
```
https://*.app.box.com/files/123
```
gives file_id
```
"123"
```
Folder ID from URL:
```
https://*.app.box.com/folder/123
```
gives folder_id
```
"123"
```
Search to ID: Use
```
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT
```
to find items, then extract IDs from results
ETag: Use
```
if_match
```
with file's ETag for safe concurrent delete operations

Pagination

Box supports two pagination methods:

Offset-based: Use
```
offset
```
+
```
limit
```
(max offset 10000)
Marker-based: Set
```
usemarker: true
```
and follow
```
marker
```
from responses (preferred for large datasets)
Always paginate to completion to avoid partial results

Nested Parameters

Box tools use double underscore notation for nested objects:

```
parent__id
```
for parent folder reference

lock__access

lock__expires__at

lock__is__download__prevented

for file locks

```
permissions__can__download
```
for download permissions

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

All IDs are numeric strings (e.g.,
```
"123456"
```
, not integers)
Root folder is always
```
"0"
```
File and folder IDs can be extracted from Box web app URLs

Rate Limits

Box API has per-endpoint rate limits
Search and list operations should use pagination responsibly
Bulk operations should include delays between requests

Parameter Quirks

```
fields
```
parameter changes response shape: when specified, only mini representation + requested fields are returned
Search requires either
```
query
```
or
```
mdfilters
```
; both are optional individually but one must be present
```
BOX_UPDATE_FILE
```
with
```
lock
```
set to
```
null
```
removes the lock (raw API only)

Metadata query

from

field format:

enterprise_{enterprise_id}.templateKey

global.templateKey

Permissions

Deletions fail without sufficient permissions; always handle error responses
Collaboration roles determine what operations are allowed
Enterprise settings may restrict certain sharing options

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
Search content	`BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT`	`query` , `type` , `ancestor_folder_ids`
List folder items	`BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER`	`folder_id` , `limit` , `marker`
Get file info	`BOX_GET_FILE_INFORMATION`	`file_id` , `fields`
Get folder info	`BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION`	`folder_id` , `fields`
Upload file	`BOX_UPLOAD_FILE`	`file` , `parent_id`
Download file	`BOX_DOWNLOAD_FILE`	`file_id`
Create folder	`BOX_CREATE_FOLDER`	`name` , `parent__id`
Update folder	`BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER`	`folder_id` , `name` , `parent`
Copy folder	`BOX_COPY_FOLDER`	`folder_id` , `parent__id`
Delete folder	`BOX_DELETE_FOLDER`	`folder_id` , `recursive`
Permanently delete folder	`BOX_PERMANENTLY_REMOVE_FOLDER`	folder_id
Update file	`BOX_UPDATE_FILE`	`file_id` , `name` , `parent__id`
Delete file	`BOX_DELETE_FILE`	`file_id` , `if_match`
List collaborations	`BOX_LIST_FILE_COLLABORATIONS`	`file_id`
Update collaboration	`BOX_UPDATE_COLLABORATION`	`collaboration_id` , `role`
Get collaboration	`BOX_GET_COLLABORATION`	`collaboration_id`
Query by metadata	`BOX_QUERY_FILES_FOLDERS_BY_METADATA`	`from` , `ancestor_folder_id` , `query`
List collections	`BOX_LIST_ALL_COLLECTIONS`	(none)
List collection items	`BOX_LIST_COLLECTION_ITEMS`	`collection_id`
List sign requests	`BOX_LIST_BOX_SIGN_REQUESTS`	`limit` , `marker`
Get sign request	`BOX_GET_BOX_SIGN_REQUEST_BY_ID`	`sign_request_id`
Cancel sign request	`BOX_CANCEL_BOX_SIGN_REQUEST`	`sign_request_id`
Recent items	`BOX_LIST_RECENTLY_ACCESSED_ITEMS`	(none)
Create zip download	`BOX_CREATE_ZIP_DOWNLOAD`	item IDs

box-automation

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Box Automation via Rube MCP

Prerequisites

Setup

Core Workflows

1. Upload and Download Files

2. Search and Browse Content

3. Manage Folders

4. Share Files and Manage Collaborations

5. Box Sign Requests

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Pagination

Nested Parameters

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

Rate Limits

Parameter Quirks

Permissions

Quick Reference